Prologue
Those on the QBBS Meredith Reynolds fought for the Queen who became their Empress. In time, as the battles and the fighting were reduced and new generations were born to those in space, humans left the Meredith Reynolds and settled on planets both within and outside of the Etheric Empire.
To the human settlers in the Sark System, the Milky Way became known as the Pan Galaxy, because that was what it resembled when viewed from the far edges of the aging Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy. What the humans of Earth called Sagittarius had no meaning without that constellation. To those who had lived on the other side of the Annex all their lives, their home was known as the Loop Galaxy because of the way it circled the Pan.
The Sark System had four planets. Two were close to the star Sark, their sun, and two orbit in the farthest reaches. In between there was an asteroid belt with a particularly interesting asteroid known to a tiny population of inhabitants as Gaitune-67.
The two inner planets were called Estaria and Ogg; the two outer planets were Secoria and Teshovia.
By the time the third generation of human settlers was born in the Sark system, news came down that the Etheric Empire was done with their wars on the Kurtherians and were seeking to become the Etheric Federation. This third generation of humans who settled on Estaria included a little girl.
Her name was Molly.
Broken in spirit, she didn’t understand that the future is determined not by your mistakes, but by the depth of your ability to make things happen and the power of those who believed in you.
This set of stories explains how Molly and those who came to love the broken young woman would challenge the might of the political and powerful and find out the truth.
The truth of the Ascension Myth.
CHAPTER ONE
Gaitune-67, Safe House, Basement Workshop
Brock and Molly stared at the reinforced metal door.
Molly took a deep breath. “Brock, it’s a door.”
Brock tapped the door with his wrench. “With demons or hellz knows what else behind it!” His voice rose half an octave over the course of just one sentence. Brock had piled boxes up against it after his minor freak out and they showed telltale signs of having been disturbed: his handprints in the dust, and a slight haphazardness to the stacking.
“Well, I don’t know what’s behind it, but there are a fuck-ton of boxes in front of it.” She looked over at him. “That’s a lot of boxes for a boogie man to get through.” She mused a moment more. “He’d likely get a hernia, I’m thinking.”
Brock detected a hint of irony in her voice.
He looked sideways at her. “You…you! Don’t be shittin’ me, girl. This demon—this is for realz, and I don’t want no ancestors up in my face when I’m working down here.”
His face had paled, and Molly had to stifle a rising laugh.
She couldn’t help but feel that this was akin to a youngster being afraid of what was under the bed.
A grown man, trained in the arts of science and engineering—one motherfucking badass with a spanner or a hammer—had a big-ass fear of what might be behind an average creepy-looking door that he couldn’t find a way to open.
At some point over the last week he had also set up an array of temporary lights that had helped him feel more comfortable when he was down there alone.
Molly studied the dusty boxes as if they were a three-dimensional logic puzzle. Her brain ticked as Brock waited in anticipation of her verdict.
She had arrived back at the base hours ago, but had declared that she needed rack time before dealing with whatever “motherfucking drama is going on in the basement.” He had let her sleep and caffeinate before she inquired as to what the problem was.
Joel agreed; Brock had made the right call by waiting.
Now, effectively the next day, she had hauled her “lady-boss ass”—as he called it—down to the basement to assess said drama.
Molly exhaled again. There was no easy way to do this.
“Okay, help me.” she told him, stepping up and tugging at one of the middle boxes.
“Girlfriend, you are signing our death warrant, if my Grindle-senses are right.” Brock attempted to sound playful, but anxiety still laced his voice.
“The hell is a grindle?” she asked, hands still on the first box.
Brock stopped a moment, scratching his head with his wrench. “They are kinda small and have ten legs around a central body. I read about ‘em one time. They sit inside of a little hole they build, and then when they sense something above them, they jump out and attack. Wrap ‘em up and eat ‘em.”
“Sounds like a spider from my old holo-documentaries,” she mumbled.
Molly pushed one of the middle boxes slightly with an eye to moving the whole stack, but found that it was too damned heavy.
Brock lifted the top one down.
“If we have ancestors and demon-shit coming after us, it’s on you.” He eyed her knowingly, like a witch doctor who has seen the future.
He carried the first box over to a space in the center of the workshop, as he had done only a matter of days ago.
Paige and Joel emerged from the stairwell, catching some of the conversation. Paige stopped to observe the unfolding events.
Joel pitched in with lifting the boxes. “Whatcha mean, demons?” he asked, curious as to what he’d missed. “I didn’t think Ms. Molly believed in ghosts and ghouls and all that kind of thing?”
He caught her eye and made a face at her as he turned with a box.
She picked up a box from the stack, and catching the look he gave her, rolled her eyes back at him.
Brock dropped another box out of the way. “No, I’m talking about those dimensional-traveling bastards. I get a feeling like I’m being watched around that door, and I just know there is something up with that shit.”
Brock stopped and leaned to the left. He balanced on one leg and shook the other, then resumed walking.
Joel opened his mouth to give Brock grief, but Paige piped up, interrupting him. “Yeah, that could be true,” she agreed.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her.
FROM ELLIE >>>
So MA and I are on Zoom, chewing the fat and chatting about ADAM. MA was musing what might happen if ADAM ever got his own body, and he randomly asked:
MA: Would Molly ever want Oz out?
Ellie: No.
MA: Why?
Ellie: Because she loves him.
MA: Why?
Ellie: Because he’s useful.
MA: … That’s such a Molly comment.
**Ellie’s head hits desk**
— AS SEEN ON ELLIE’S FACEBOOK PAGE
(you have to go there to see ALL of the replies, but this one was kind of out of context, and funny!) FB Page URL : http://www.facebook.com/ellleighclarke
ELLIE >> Question: Hey Ascenders! I need your help with something, if I may?
Just been having a “discussion” with MA about something in Book 2. Do you guys understand the layout of the Sark System: two inner planets (Ogg and Estaria), two outer planets (can never remember their names but we mention them in a car ride), asteroid belt in the middle? Or is this something we have to explain in Book 2??
(Skipping some awesome answers…)
😐 I will be back to check on you later. After I sleep. Please make sure you have the accomadations ready for the Pixie delegation. Do not worry about designating a spot for their embassy…they prefer to pick their own spot. If they find you do not have space enough outside they will grudgingly take a room over in your home but they require you to fill it will potted plants. *shrugs shoulders* what can I say…it is in their contract. Which reminds me, please do not attempt to subvert them to your side, they are under contract to The Horde and they take their contracts very seriously.
😉
The Pixies do best when they hear the joyful sound of typing. Do try to keep them happy. Their new contract required we replace their spears (I believe MA likened their encouragement to ant bites, but I digress…) we replaced the spears with tiny pitchforks. My humble suggestion is to type faster…it lulls the pixies into a peaceful mindstate. *tilts head to the side and slowly smiles* Angry pixies have a tendency to prod you back into the house to type more. This actually makes getting the snippets to The Horde a bit difficult. *evil laugh* I will send Bowser around for a snippet later.
*brightly colored portal begins to open*